


Always You

by Dorasolo



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Pride Fic Prompt, Valentine’s Day Fic Prompt, twitter drabbles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-01-27 03:41:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21385492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dorasolo/pseuds/Dorasolo
Summary: This is a collection of ScottHope drabbles, ficlets, and missing scenes outside of my other story ‘verses. They’re mostly post-Endgame, and not necessarily canon compliant.Chapter 1: Always YouChapter 2: I Ant YouChapter 3: I Hope You’ll Be My ValentineChapter 4: A Novel ExperienceChapter 5: TouchéChapter 6: Pride, feat. Cassie!
Relationships: Scott Lang/Hope Van Dyne
Comments: 17
Kudos: 79





	1. Always You

Scott has never really liked text messaging, his brain moving faster than his thumbs. But, text is the way he can communicate with some of his new friends after the Snap. 

His new friends aren’t from Earth. He lets out what he knows is a high pitched almost hysterical giggle; however, he thinks it’s joy that causes the sound and not the overwhelming reality of 2023. 

Hope was reading on her kindle, her fetching new glasses slipping down her nose, but she’s looking at him with the eyebrow arch he’s come to love over the years he’s known her.

“What the hell was that? I know it came out of you, but it sounded like a drunk bird.” 

He holds up his phone. “Thor is going to be back on planet,” he explains, and she smiles. 

“Are you going to cook him dinner?”

Scott scoffs. “As if I’d let him eat fast food. He had enough of that before everybody came back.”

Hope looks at him, mischief in her green eyes. “At the end of the day, do you think your crush is bigger on Cap or Thor?” 

He pretends to think about it, and then pounces on her unexpectedly. “You,” he says simply. “Always you.”


	2. I Ant You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott and Hope’s first Valentine’s Day after the Snap; Hope POV

The fluorescent lights overhead are flickering just enough to make Hope Van Dyne’s eyes sore, but she can’t tear herself away from the candy display. She cocks her head left, and then right, seeing the display but not really. The display is for Valentine’s Day, the first Valentine’s Day after the snap, and technically the first in a long time that she’s had somebody in her life that she’d call special enough to warrant some sort of Valentine.

It’s weird. 

The holiday is a fake corporate construct to funnel money into the candy and greeting card industries. 

Scott knows how she feels without chocolate. 

The gaiety of the display is a total joke given the harsh realities of the Snap. 

“He likes the caramel ones best,” a woman’s voice says from behind her, with obvious amusement.

Hope spins around, and Maggie Paxton is there, grinning widely. “I assume you’re thinking of buying candy for Scott?”

“No,” Hope blurts automatically, but then she softens and smiles back, “I mean, yeah. I was thinking about it.”

Maggie continues to grin at Hope, her brown eyes gentle. “It’s ok to want to buy Scott candy for Valentine’s Day, Hope.” 

“Of course,” Hope says quickly. “I know it’s a thing that people do and all, but what if he’s getting me something enormous and sentimental and all I get him are these? These are just what, chocolate caramels with sea salt.” Hope picks up a package of them and blanches, surprised. “Shockingly expensive chocolate caramels with sea salt.”

Maggie raises an eyebrow. “Would it help if I told you he’s not getting you something enormous and sentimental?” 

Hope gapes at her for a second. “He isn’t? How do you know?” 

“Just buy the chocolates, Hope,” Maggie directs, with the same knowing sparkle in her eye, so Hope finally gives up trying to be too cool for Valentine’s Day gifts, and obeys. She also impulsively buys a bag of those chalky tasting but adorable little colored hearts — because one of the hearts facing the outside of the bag should say “I Want You” but it’s misprinted and says “I Ant You” instead. Hope’s absolutely certainly Scott will love that at least.

She gets home and shouts her greetings, but nobody’s there. Cassie has left a note on the counter in her untidy scrawl that she’ll be at a sleepover with her friends so that she and Scott can have “alone time.” The note is signed with a puking emoji. 

Hope eyes the stove dubiously and hopes that Scott’s gift involves dinner, because she’s not making it, nor would he want her to. Would he? Is that what girlfriends do for Valentine’s Day? Hope opens the fridge, peeks inside at the food there, and shuts the door again. No, nobody wants that. 

Digging through the candy hearts, she sets aside the “I Ant You” heart and puts it down on the kitchen table in front of Scott’s seat, and then she stalls again, standing in the kitchen with her hands on her hips. She looks down at her clothes, black joggers and a sleeveless tank under a baggy grey sweater, and frowns. Maybe this outfit is the opposite of sexy. Maybe it’s not even cute. Maybe she should dig through the boxes of her clothes from before the snap and find a decent bra. A pretty one, with an underwire. One like she used to wear when she first met Scott. 

Hope pulls the sweater tight against her chest, imagining it might indeed look better if she found some decent lingerie, and of course, that’s how Scott finds her when he comes home. 

“Hey,” he greets her, looking at her oddly, which she deserves. “Is that my sweater?” 

“So it is,” Hope says, sheepishly. “Do you want it back?” 

“I don’t know, maybe. What do you have underneath it?” Scott wiggles his eyebrows at her and she laughs. 

He notices the candy heart on the table and wanders over to it. “I Ant You?” 

Hope turns red and rubs the back of her neck. “Yeah, well, it’s just one of those—”

“I love it! It’s so great! And to think, I didn’t even get you anything,” Scott says, with a grimace.

“What? Really?” Hope can’t tell but she’s guessing she’s a little bit shrill because she’s embarrassed, and her hands are back on her hips. “Scott, I stood in the candy store for almost a half hour dying over chocolates and…” 

Suddenly he’s right in front of her; she keeps forgetting how fast and quiet he moves when he wants to. Scott takes her hands from her hips, or rather, she lets him take her hands. 

“Of course not. Did you think I’d let something like Valentine’s Day go by? Hope.” He looks at her expectantly. 

“You’re right,” she agrees weakly, “you would never let Valentine’s Day go by without acknowledging it somehow.” 

“Damn straight,” he says, grinning again and pointing to the table. “It’s just over there at the table.” 

Hope wanders toward the kitchen table and sees a pink folded shirt on her chair. She arches an eyebrow at him and he comically clasps both to his heart at the sight of her raised eyebrow. 

The shirt says “I hope you’ll be my Valentine” in bright red 70s style lettering. Hope grins at him and holds it up to herself. “It’s perfect.” 

It’s a little while before they get around to dinner.


	3. I Hope You’ll Be My Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott buys Hope a present for their first Valentine’s Day together post-Snap. Scott POV, featuring Cassie.

Scott Lang absently drives the used Toyota Camry he bought after the Snap with a loan from Luis, who kept X-Con alive while he was gone. He’s going to get Cassie from school, but he’s preoccupied. He knows his preoccupation is rather trite; he’s not a total buffoon just because he’s concerned with the ordinary day to day activities of regular people. 

He’s preoccupied with Valentine’s Day, specifically what to get Hope Van Dyne for the holiday, because he’s head over heels for her and she’s finally tolerating the fact that he feels that way. He’s got two weeks to get it together, to decide what to get her, and it seems like an actual Avengers mission in intensity. 

He swings into the parent pick up lane at school and waits for Cassie to get into the car, idly scrolling on his phone looking for gifts. He’s not seeing anything he likes, but then he finds a t-shirt site that lets a person custom make the slogan and pick colors and fonts.

Scott fumbles around with the site, laughing at his own wit, because hey he’s alone in the car and if you can’t laugh at yourself then your life is really empty, isn’t it? He settles on “I Hope You’ll Be My Valentine” in this cheesy 70s style font in red, on a pinkish red ringer shirt. Something she’d never wear normally, but he thinks she’d do the 70s look justice. She’d do any look justice, really, including just throwing on his sweaters even though they dwarf her small frame. But would she like it at all? Hope is really not the Valentine’s Day type. 

The door to the passenger side opens and Cassie throws herself into the seat, a whirlwind of colors and chatter. Scott wordlessly hands her the USB cord and she plugs in her phone, side eyeing him once, twice, and a third time before selecting a Taylor Swift album. Scott absently drums along to the song on the steering wheel as he drives away from the school. 

“Okay, out with it,” Cassie demands, “did somebody die? Did the house explode? Did Hank lose Janet again in the Quantum Realm?” 

Scott makes a face. “No, of course not, why?” 

“You haven’t said a word,” Cassie says emphatically. “Not one word since I got into this Camry. You let me put on Taylor Swift without trying once to sneak a Rush song or whatever it is you old people like without me noticing. You’re staring intently at the road. What am I supposed to think?” 

Scott makes another face and a noise of disbelief. “I’m not old, Rush is a great band, and you know I like Taylor Swift just fine. I’m a man with an open mind about music. I can’t believe you’re asking if somebody died because I didn’t force you to listen to Rush.” 

Cassie narrows her eyes. “No, there’s something. You need to tell me what it is.”

Heaving a dramatic sigh, he hands his phone to her when they stop at a red light. “I think I’m going to order this shirt for Hope,” he says slowly. “For Valentine’s Day. What do you think?” 

Thoughtfully, she looks at the shirt and grins. “I love it,” she says, “but I’m biased because I think you and I have the same outlook on life. We should ask Mom. She’ll be the voice of reason.” 

“Good call,” Scott agreed, perking up to the idea. Maggie does know him, and will try to tell him when he’s being too dumb. 

“Text her and tell her we’re coming by,” Scott suggests, nudging Cassie.

“Oh we’re doing this now now,” Cassie says, grinning. “I like the urgency of it.” 

“Well, I don’t want it to come after Valentine’s Day,” Scott explains, with a roll of his eyes, because of course Cassie knows that and is just teasing him because of the subject matter. 

He pulls into the driveway at Maggie’s house five minutes later. They get out of the car, knock on the door, and Maggie greets them. “What’s the emergency?” 

Scott makes a face at Cassie. “It’s not an emergency, contrary to what Cassie must have said. I just want your opinion.” 

“On a Valentine’s Day gift,” Cassie explains, with an exaggerated shrug, “for Hope. So it’s kind of like an emergency!” 

Maggie rolls her eyes too. “She’s definitely your child,” Maggie deadpans. “Show me.” 

Scott hands over the phone. “I was thinking this shirt, with this phrase, in this font.”

Maggie groans, but she smiles crookedly at him. “I love it.”

“It’s not too much, is it?” Scott looks at Maggie anxiously. “I’m nuts about her and I don’t want to do anything to scare her off. I’m a little too enthusiastic and she’s well, she’s Hope.” 

“I don’t think it’s too much,” Maggie says softly, her heart in her eyes. 

“Uh oh,” Cassie says, backing away a step. “Romance Novel Mom is Activated.” 

“Scott, it’s really nice to see you like this,” Maggie continues, ignoring Cassie’s narration. 

“Uh,” Scott says, turning red and rubbing his neck, sheepishly. “Yeah. I mean, it’s a t-shirt, not a ring. You think she’ll like it?” 

“She’ll like it because it’s her speed, it won’t scare her,” Maggie answers confidently. “But it’s still thoughtful and strange and very you, which is what she likes. I say do it.”

Scott scrolls a little bit on his phone and taps the screen a few times. “Done. It’s nice talking to you about this kind of stuff, so thanks Maggie. Really.” 

Maggie holds her arms open. “Put ‘er there,” she says, “bring it in.” 

Scott and Cassie both go in for the hug, and not for the first time, Scott can’t believe his life has turned out this way, so bright, and so … Hopeful.


	4. A Novel Experience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott’s reading habits are questionable

It’s about dinnertime on the West Coast, but that seems to be the exact time that Sam Wilson likes to hold his Avengers teleconferences despite Scott Lang’s desire to feed his family at an appropriate hour. He takes the call, which he and Hope Van Dyne secretly call “Space Zoom,” because other than it being way cooler looking with much better sound quality, it’s still like a conference call with coworkers if your coworkers are calling from space. 

Peter Quill can’t really get the hang of the screen today, as usual, so they’re looking up his nose. Scott shoots a glance at Hope and as usual, they’re on the same page. Quill has to be joking. Only the joke is old. 

“Mr. Quill, would you please take a step back?”

Good old Spiderkid, saying what everybody was already thinking.

Everybody checks in, except Carol Danvers because she’s somewhere in another time continuum, or something. Hope can tell he’s getting cranky so she tosses him a mini pack of M&Ms. The meeting ends, but Thor stays on long enough to tell Scott he’s going to call Scott directly.

Dinner is immediately forgotten, or at least Scott turns down the burner so the sauce won’t be ruined. 

“What’s up, dude?”

Thor grins through the holographic screen. “So last time we talked, it was about the movie Footloose, was it not?” 

“It was,” Scott agrees slowly, thinking back. “A decent showing but nothing award worthy, that’s what you said.” 

Thor waves his hand dismissively. “Yes yes, but that was for me to talk about and cheer up Quill.”

“Is he still upset?” Hope pops into the screen and Thor raises a glass of blue something or other in her direction. 

“He moons over a woman,” Thor declares, his old fashioned type of accent making his proclamation particularly severe. 

“The green one,” Hope says, but then she looks concerned. “Is that inappropriate to say like that? Bruce and Jennifer are green so I think it’s appropriate.” 

“I think it’s fine,” Scott agrees. “It’s a descriptor.” 

“She is green,” Thor declares. “But he is in love with the green woman from 2019 who is dead, and the green woman from 2014 has taken her place and is not the same.”

“That’s sad,” Scott says, making a face. “That’s like, unsolvable. I don’t know a single romance novel that has this as the plot to offer any advice.”

Hope quirks an eyebrow. “A romance novel, Scott?” 

Thor puts down his blue drink. “A romance novel! What is this?”

“Books,” Scott says hotly, “books with people falling in love — you know, I don’t have to explain myself to you, I spent three years in jail and sometimes you just want to read something happy—“ 

Hope stifles a laugh. “Honestly, it tracks.”

Thor laughs outright. “I wish to have romance novels to help Quill! You will tell me some?” 

“C’mon, I don’t know them like that,” Scott demurs, red in the face. 

Hope and Thor are both quiet.

“Ugh, ok, fine,” Scott agrees, putting his head down on the table in embarrassment. “I’ll make a list and you can borrow my Kindle account again.” 

Thor hangs up, with a vow to call again soon for what he decides is a book club. 

Hope laughs, laughs again, and orders a pizza for dinner instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not sure what this coronavirus timeline has done to my brain but I hope you like it...


	5. Touché

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this takes place in a universe where Infinity War/Endgame doesn’t happen. There’s no Snap or a time jump to 2023. Why? Because it’s Scott and Hope in quarantine together. This is inspired by a scene from Hulu’s The Great.

The sky is cloudless, and the night is chilly even for San Francisco, but that doesn’t stop Hope Van Dyne from putting on a hopefully clean sweatshirt from the laundry basket to sit on the roof. It’s quiet, like every night for the past three months, and the roof is a good place to just breathe for a second. 

Lockdown hasn’t been terrible in the townhouse; there’s food and cable and a whole basement full of exercise equipment. Hope doesn’t miss the office, but she does miss seeing her parents, but she knows they’re safe and healthy.

A shiver races down her spine from the chill in the air, but Hope loves the way spring smells. With fewer cars, it smells fresh and she thinks it’s bittersweet that it’s the threat of contagion that makes the Earth healthier when people consume less of it. 

Hope sighs and rubs her hands together. Scott Lang leans out the window and looks over at her. 

“Is it alone time or do you have room for one more up there?”

Hope smiles at him, she still likes how he feels her out before making assumptions. 

“There’s room for one more,” she says.

Scott scrambles over to her with a throw blanket, and sits behind her. He arranges the blanket over the both of them and then wraps his arms around her. Scott runs very warm, and she’s grateful for his heat. 

“What are you thinking about?” Scott’s question is muffled because his lips are in her hair. 

“About human consumption, and how we should be better to the planet,” Hope says, matter-of-factly. “And also how I miss my parents.” 

“I know,” he sympathizes, kissing the top of her head. “So, when is Pym Tech going to start working on medical tech?”

“What makes you think they aren’t already,” Hope answers slyly, looking up at him and smiling bright. 

“Toosh,” Scott says, winking at her, and she laughs. 

“You do know it’s ‘touché’ right?” 

Scott scoffs from behind her, his laugh vibrating through her body. “What do you think?”


	6. Pride, feat. Cassie!

Scott Lang swings his new to him but used Toyota Camry into the parking lot behind the high school and waits for his daughter Cassie to finish with her morning soccer camp workout. He’s working on a shopping list because it’s Monday, and Monday is grocery shopping day. He’s the one who cooks, but that doesn’t stop the people who eat his food from voicing opinions about what should be on the table. Hope Van Dyne wants protein powder, but she’s picky, and he really wants to skip the trip to the strip mall to find a GNC. 

Cassie joins him in the car, still sweating, her hair pulled back from her face in a yellow sport band and a long brown braid down her back. “Hey Daddy-o, is that the list?” 

He tips his phone to her. “It’s part of the list. Hope wants some stuff from the fruit market, so unless you have something you need to get done, you wanna tag along?” 

Cassie shrugs and nods affirmatively, peeling down her bright yellow knee socks to change from her cleats into her Adidas flip flops. Scott sniffs the air and visibly blanches. “Gross, Cass. Your shin guards smell like they came back from the dead. Can you throw those in with your soccer clothes from last week? Please?” 

“What do I get in return?” She quirks an eyebrow at him expectantly. 

“A trip to Target’s Pride section?” 

Cassie throws her hands in the air. “Rainbow capitalism, here we come!” 

**

Scott ambles around Target with a vague sense of purpose after leaving Cassie square in the middle of the women’s clothing section. He picks up basics, like Greek yogurt, bananas, and the protein powder that Hope likes after sending her a picture to make sure one more time that it’s the one she wants. After that, he amuses himself by detouring into the cereal aisle. Scott pulls a few boxes of sugar cereal into the cart and figures if he’s the one shopping, he gets to have his favorite cereal. On second thought, maybe he’ll get a separate bag and keep it in the car until Hope goes to visit Hank and Janet. 

He gets back to the women’s clothing section and finds Cassie standing in the same spot she was when he left fifteen minutes ago. 

“Cassie?” 

She snaps out of her trance and smiles sheepishly at him. “Oh hey Dad. Sorry, I was just thinking.” 

“Are you thinking about how overwhelming it is, and the futility of having to make a choice about what shirt is the best shirt to detail your personal feelings about Pride? For example, this shirt says “family” in rainbow, but this one says “came to slay.” Which one is better? Tough choice.”

Cassie looks at Scott like he grew wings. “Dad, we’re in a Target. We’re never going to get shirts here about how we owe our rights to Black Trans women.”

“True that. How’d you get to be so smart?” Scott smiles at her, because really, the kids are just so knowledgeable and big hearted these days. There’s something really great about wanting to be on the right side of history, and man does Cassie take that seriously. He fights the urge to tear up; she’s almost a grown up and she’s just so great. 

He clears his throat. “No really, Cass. What are you thinking about?” 

“I was thinking,” she says hesitantly, hedging while she twists a rainbow flag bandana around in her hands nervously. “Well, I was thinking, and of course you can say no, or maybe you can say yes but Hope might say no? I guess we’ll see?” 

“Say no to what? I can usually follow a good ramble, kiddo, but I’m lost.” Scott gently takes the bandana from Cassie before she shreds it. 

“Would you and Hope want to walk in the parade with me this year?” Cassie looks at the ground while she speaks, but Scott watches her chance a glance up at him through her lashes at the silence after her question. This time he really is trying not to cry. 

“Of course,” Scott assures her in a voice thick with emotion, throwing his arm around her and squeezing her to his side. “Of course I will, and I don’t want to speak for Hope, but I’m sure she would want to, too.” 

Cassie grins up at him. “Then we need more of those bandanas that you’re using to wipe your eyes with,” she jokes, poking him in the side. “Come on, Dad. Let’s get some rainbow decor to make all the regular rainbows jealous.”


End file.
